Decision details

Moved by Councillor Ellsmore, seconded by Councillor Thompson –

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         Wednesday, 4 February 2026 was Extreme Heat Awareness Day. This day aimed to draw attention to the growing health and social challenge of extreme heat and raise people awareness about staying safe when temperatures soar for extended periods;

(ii)        Council supported the event, including holding awareness stalls in partnership with groups like the Red Cross and Sweltering Cities;

(iii)       the City of Sydney has taken important action to address climate change and the growing threat of extreme heat in the city. This includes:

(a)        specific actions to reduce and mitigate urban heat in Council’s Homelessness, Resilience, Environmental and Greening Sydney strategies;

(b)        work through Resilient Sydney, and partnerships with community groups including Sweltering Cities;

(c)        communication for residents via the Council’s website and other communication channels about how to manage extreme heat;

(d)        regularly update to planning controls to encourage building and place design which mitigates heat; and

(e)        research to map and track temperatures in the Local Government Area (LGA), including those that impact people’s health, trees, green spaces and wildlife;

(iv)       the City has a range of programs to support people at risk in extreme weather events and hot days. This includes the award-winning Mobile Cooling Hubs, a program to support people sleeping rough, which is delivered in partnership with St Vincent’s Health Network and others, and extreme heat management protocols implemented in coordination with other government agencies and services; and

(v)        at its October 2025 meeting Council resolved to request that the Chief Executive Officer:

(a)        consider extended opening hours for one or more of Council’s airconditioned and accessible indoor community spaces as a heat relief space over the summer; and

(b)        investigate the budget implications of extended and night-time opening hours for staffed libraries and community centres (as heat relief spaces) for Council's consideration as part of the preparation of the 2026/27 Budget and Operational Plan; and

(B)       Council further note:

(i)         other LGAs in NSW and Victoria have also been mapping patterns of extreme heat in their areas, and developing strategies to mitigate its effects for residents, particularly low-income residents and people with specific needs; and

(ii)        some examples of the strategies to address extreme heat being trialled or  implemented by other local councils (variously by Parramatta, Hawkesbury, Charles Sturt, Blacktown, Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla, Yarra City and Merri-bek Councils) focused on use of public or council spaces include:

(a)        extended hours opening for council owned spaces like libraries – including the trial of later hours especially over this past summer;

(b)        using Council facilities as ‘heatwave havens’ – allocating or setting up dedicated spaces in leisure centres and council customer service centres for this purpose;

(c)        helping establish other public spaces as ‘heatwave havens’ – for example adding solar, batteries, air conditioning, backup generators, electric signboards and other equipment to community locations so they also can serve as suitable and welcoming ‘heatwave havens’ in periods of extreme heat; and

(d)        mobilising volunteers and council staff to activate community locations where councils want to encourage people to go in extreme heat, and ensuring active transport is available so people can access them.

Carried unanimously.

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